Top off these Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with a rich and fudgy Paleo Chocolate Frosting! You’d never guess there are veggies packed into these super moist and chocolatey gluten-free cupcakes.
You guys, this is somehow the FIRST paleo cupcake recipe I’ve ever posted on Bakerita. Or now that I think about it, it’s the first paleo cake of any sort that I’ve posted.
Somehow, when Bakerita officially went from being full of butter, flour, and sugar, to being fully gluten-free and refined sugar-free, cakes and cupcakes got lost in the shuffle.
Cakes and cupcakes aren’t usually my favorite dessert. I tend to go for cookies and bar instead. My boyfriend recently challenged me to make more cakes though, so more cakes will be showing up around these parts.
And man, oh man…these chocolate zucchini cupcakes sure are a good place to start. My boyfriend’s mom has a beautiful garden in her yard, and she’s been bringing me some giant zucchinis to cook and bake with. I’ve been playing around with a zucchini brownie recipe, but so far, these chocolate zucchini cupcakes have been the standout zucchini bake.
Can you tell there is zucchini in these cupcakes?!
NO! The zucchini goes undetectable in these cupcakes. The shredded veggie melts into the chocolate cake, adding moisture and helping the cake stay super chocolatey. These chocolate zucchini cupcakes are nothing if not incredibly chocolatey.
The texture is spot-on, too! They’re not so light and cakey that don’t hold their weight, nor are they so dense that they dry out and become crumbly. The combination of almond and tapioca flours work together perfectly to create a texture similar to the all-purpose flour cupcakes we love. It doesn’t have any of the odd grittiness that so many plagues so many gluten-free cupcakes.
I opted to put some mini chocolate chips in my second batch too, and the little bits of melty chocolate are such a nice surprise. The chocolate frosting is what makes these cupcakes ultra chocolatey, though.
This frosting is pretty simple. We make it with just melted chocolate, coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. The almond butter helps keep the frosting soft, while the coconut oil gives it a bit of shape and helps it melt as soon as it hits your tongue. Swoooon. You’ll want to spread it on everything!
I recommend keeping these cupcakes stored at room temperature. The frosting firms up a lot in the fridge. I prefer it when it’s a little softer. That way, it melts in your mouth in the most delicious way. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it… You could also make just the cupcakes and freeze them if you’re trying to make them ahead of time.
If you’ve got zucchini around, you’ve got to try these out! Soft, moist, incredibly chocolatey, with a rich fudge frosting. These are what chocolate cupcake dreams are made of. Enjoy!
Want more chocolate cake?! I’ve got you covered…
- Get your chocolate cake fix more healthily with this Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread.
- How about some more hidden veggies?! Check out these Paleo Chocolate Beet Donuts.
- Try your hand at these Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes from Texanerin Baking.
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Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Paleo Chocolate Frosting
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 58 minutes
- Yield: 16 cupcakes 1x
Description
These Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes are topped with a rich and fudgy Paleo Chocolate Frosting! You’d never guess there are veggies packed into these super moist and chocolatey gluten-free cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (144g) blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup (55g) tapioca flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2/3 cup cacao powder
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice (I used almond)
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup shredded zucchini (water squeezed out of it)
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
For the frosting
- 6 oz. dark chocolate (chopped)
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or coconut oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coconut sugar, and cacao powder. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the non-dairy milk, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract together. Stir in the shredded zucchini.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Use a scoop to fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 16-19 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from the pan to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a microwave-proof bowl or in a small saucepan, combine the dark chocolate, almond butter, and coconut oil. Microwave until melted, about 1 or 2 minutes (stirring every 30 seconds) or melt over low heat in a small saucepan. Add in the vanilla extract and kosher salt and whisk until smooth.
- Place in the refrigerator to cool, and remove to whisk every 10-15 minutes until it’s gotten to the desired consistency. Don’t leave it in the refrigerator for too long, or it will firm up and not be spreadable. Warm for 10-15 seconds if you accidentally let it cool for too long to soften it back up.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake, or use a piping bag to pipe on the cupcakes. Double the frosting recipe if you’re going to be piping on all of the cupcakes.
- Store cupcakes tightly sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for longer term storage.
Notes
Frosting recipe adapted from Texanerin Baking.
- Category: Dessert
What you’ll need to make these!
Lucia Wright says
These look INCREDIBLE! I’m making these as soon as we’re done with our move!
Rachel says
Thanks so much Lucia – I hope you love them! :)
Casey the College Celiac says
These look FABULOUS! I love zucchini in any form, and a chocolate cupcake sounds like a deliciously decadent way to get some veggies ;)
Bethany says
Wow! These cupcakes look amazing. Can’t believe they’re paleo!
Pamela (BrooklynFarmGirl) says
These cupcakes look so delicious and decadent!
Brenda says
These look so yummy!! I can’t have eggs so do you think the flax eggs would work okay in these?
Rachel says
Hi Brenda, I haven’t tried it so I can’t make any guarantees. Let me know how it goes if you do!
Molly says
Do you measure the shredded zucchini before or after the water is squeezed out?
Rachel says
Hi Molly, you measure before the water is squeezed out.
Morgan says
Hi,
These look delicious! Could I use a different flour in place of the tapioca flour?
Rachel says
I’ve only ever tested with tapioca so I can’t make any guarantees, but I’d imagine you can use arrowroot instead, or even more almond flour, it just might be a little heavier if you go the almond flour route. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
Mindy says
Do you think I could leave out the zuchinni? I’m looking for a chocolate paleo cupcake to make for my kids birthday next week.
Rachel says
Hi Mindy, I haven’t tried it that way but the zucchini does add moisture so you’d probably want to add in about 1/3 cup of moisture to make up for it, probably with some extra almond milk. I can’t make any guarantees though, since I haven’t tried it that way!
Mindy Bennett says
Thanks for replying. I found another paleo chocolate cupcake recipe. I will try yours with the zucchini another time though!
Ana says
Hi! These look amazing! If I wanted to make a cake instead of cupcakes would that work too? How many recipes would I have to make? It’s for a birthday cake! Thanks!!
Rachel says
Hi Ana, I’m not exactly sure but if you doubled the recipe, you could likely create a 2 or 3 layer cake in 8″ round cake pans. Hope this helps!
Ana says
Perfect! Thank you so much!
Alyssa says
Does another kind of nut butter, such as creamy cashew butter, work instead of almond in the frosting? Didn’t check before making the recipe, and we’re all out :/
Rachel says
Hi Alyssa! Yes, any nut butter will do the trick – cashew would be delicious. Enjoy!
Grace says
I’ve made these three times and they are excellent.I found that the recipe makes 13 muffins. Thanks for creating these awesome gluten free dairy free recipes!
★★★★★
Karen says
Could you use apple sauce instead of zucchini for the moisture?
Rachel says
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried it but it might make the recipe a little too wet. I’d use a little less applesauce if you’re going to make the sub so there isn’t too much moisture.